City Planning Commission Meeting - June 10, 2025
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City Planning Commission Meeting - June 10, 2025
The City Planning Commission met on June 10, 2025, at 1:41 PM in Council Chambers to consider zoning and subdivision items. The meeting began with roll call and unanimous adoption of the May 27, 2025, minutes. All agenda items were approved, including a conditional use for a warehouse, an expansion of the National WWII Museum planned development, an extension for a subdivision, a Tulane University resubdivision, and subdivision ratifications.
Consent Calendar
- Adoption of the minutes from the May 27, 2025, meeting was approved unanimously.
- Two subdivision ratifications (6316 Yew Court and 6116 Annunciation Street) were approved as eligible for administrative review.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Zoning Docket 029/25: Ryan Lazo, representing applicant 1020 Erato, LLC, spoke in support of the conditional use to re-establish a warehouse at 1018–1020 Erato Street. He expressed full support for the use but criticized the nine-month conditional use process as overly burdensome, noting a sale fell through due to delays. He thanked the Commission for studying barriers to development.
- Zoning Docket 030/25: Scott Evans, Vice President of Capital Projects and Facilities at the National WWII Museum, supported the request to expand the planned development to include a 34,744-square-foot storage and repair facility. He stated the facility would house macro artifacts (jeeps, tanks, trucks) currently stored across the expressway.
- Extension Request for Subdivision Docket 122/23: Applicant Ann Harrison, owner of 1929 Feliciana Street, requested an extension to combine two lots. She stated she was unaware of missing documentation and faced delays from her mortgage company. Staff clarified she needed a lender consent letter.
- Subdivision Docket 042/25: Alana Herman, representing Tulane University, supported the resubdivision to combine lots at University Square for a tennis and pickleball facility open to the community. She noted the subdivision was a technical requirement from Safety and Permits.
Discussion Items
- Zoning Docket 029/25 (Conditional Use – Warehouse): The property at 1018–1020 Erato Street, an existing warehouse that lost its non-conforming status, requires conditional use approval in the HU-MU Historic Urban Neighborhood Mixed-Use District. Staff recommended approval with one proviso. Commissioner Johnson moved to limit discussion to the docket. The item was approved.
- Zoning Docket 030/25 (WWII Museum Planned Development Expansion): The request amends Ordinance 29,159 (ZD 046/22) to permit new construction of a 34,744-square-foot storage and repair facility at 1042–1060 Magazine Street. Staff recommended approval with three exceptions and four provisos. No public opposition was expressed.
- Extension Request for Subdivision Docket 122/23: The original resubdivision application (lots 15 and 16 into 15A at 1929 Feliciana Street) expired due to lack of response. Staff recommended approval of the extension with a new one-year deadline from June 10, 2025. The motion passed.
- Subdivision Docket 042/25 (Tulane University Resubdivision): The request combines Lot 2 and Square 190A into Lot 2A at 190–200 Broadway Street, 200 Pine Street, and 7401 Leake Avenue. The site exceeds two acres, requiring a public hearing. Staff recommended approval. Commissioner Steag recused himself. The motion passed.
- Subdivision Ratifications: Two subdivisions were ratified as administratively approved.
Key Outcomes
- Zoning Docket 029/25: Approved (motion by Commissioner Steag, seconded by Commissioner Whitry) with staff recommendation including one proviso.
- Zoning Docket 030/25: Approved (motion by Commissioner Lund, seconded by Commissioner Whitry) with staff recommendation including three exceptions and four provisos.
- Extension Request for Subdivision Docket 122/23: Granted (motion by Commissioner Steag, seconded by Commissioner Johnson) with a new one-year deadline. Staff to provide a sample lender letter to the applicant.
- Subdivision Docket 042/25: Approved (motion by Commissioner Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Whitry) as recommended by staff, with Commissioner Steag recused.
- Subdivision Ratifications: Approved (motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Whitry).
- Adjournment: Motion approved after brief discussion that mistakenly omitted agenda items (municipal auditorium reports) would be included on the next meeting agenda.
Meeting Transcript
No, that's not that sounds like you're going to hear you. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming to today's city planning commission meeting. We're going to get started. I appreciate that. But yeah, I'm not good. First. I look forward to that. Okay. So good afternoon, everyone. We're going to go ahead and get started. Uh it's now one forty one. And we will start first with a calling of role, followed by the reading of the formal public hearing rules and our regular business. So, Commissioner Johnson. Commissioner Lund. Commissioner Whitry. Commissioner Jordan here. Commissioner Steve. Here. Commissioner Stewart. Okay. So the City Planning Commission has established certain rules governing the procedures to be followed at public hearings. Before speaking, each person shall give their name, address, and state whom he or she is representing. Proponents for the proposal will speak first for a period of ten minutes total. Each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of two minutes. No material, including written matter, photographs, maps, or other items will be accepted by the commission or its staff at any time during this public hearing. This procedure shall be followed except at such a time when the presiding officer shall, with the approval of the commission members present, extend such time. And now we will begin with the adoption of meeting minutes from our May 27th meeting. Commissioner Whittry will adopt the May 27th meeting minutes. Okay, so we have a motion for adoption from Commissioner Whitry, seconded by Commissioner Johnson. If there's no further discussion, we will vote our machines. Okay, meeting minutes have been adopted. The first item of business is zoning docket item 02925. This is an application affecting a property at uh 1018, 1020 Arado Street in the Lower Garden District. Uh it's an industrial style building that uh was previously a warehouse, then used as uh a brewery, and has since been vacant and is now uh up for occupancy. Um because it had not been used as a rest as a warehouse most recently, it lost its non-conforming warehouse condition. This is in a mixed use district where warehouses are permitted only through the conditional use process, and so for it to be re-established as a warehouse, it requires conditional use approval. Uh no changes to the site, um, just reoccupancy in a way that it was originally intended for. Uh, and so the staff finds it to be appropriate and recommends approval with one proviso. Thank you. Uh, we have a common card representing the advocate, Mr. Ron Lazel. Uh good afternoon, Commissioners. Ryan Lazo one south 1000 South Norman C. Francis. Again, uh Stephen stated, this is just putting a an existing warehouse back into commerce. That's it. I would like to add on to here, I am very thankful for the study that CPC is doing right now. I'm trying to figure out where items that should be a permitted use instead of a conditional use. An existing warehouse should not have to go through a conditional use.
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